The Highpoint Major Activity Centre (HMAC) is changing and emerging into a lively mixed-use area with many places to live, work and socialise. The HMAC includes Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre, Robert Barrett Reserve, Maribyrnong College, residential dwellings and other commercial businesses.

As a key area for urban renewal within inner Melbourne, it is estimated that the HMAC will accommodate approximately 15,000 dwellings and 32,000 residents by 2041. With a larger population living in the area and more visitors to local businesses, more cars on the road will lead to congestion and parking pressure.

Council is commencing work on a Highpoint Parking Plan to guide future parking needs and demands that will meet the needs of residents and local businesses to improve streets for people.

While previous strategies and plans for the area, including the Highpoint Planning and Urban Design Framework, looked at infrastructure, open space and future residential growth to guide development over 20 years, this project focuses on future parking demand and needs within the HMAC.

Our initial thinking

We have started some initial thinking about how we can improve streets for people via an Options and Strategy Report, which is available in the Document Library. This includes:

• encouraging the use of sustainable and active transport
• supporting fair and equitable parking for all visitors to the HMAC
• identifying parking management measures to reduce the reliance on car parking for future residential, office and retail development
• responding to the number and severity of crashes occurring in the area.

There are several strategies we think we can utilise to achieve this. This include the potential introduction of time-restricted parking, as well as advocating to the State Government for improvements to public transport, and leveraging off the new tram depot and existing bus interchange facilities.

We want to hear from you

We want to hear from nearby residents, businesses and developers to check we are on the right track, whether there are other options we should consider and to confirm the top priorities to include within the draft Highpoint Parking Plan.

Your feedback will help inform a draft Highpoint Parking Plan, which will be shared for further community feedback.

Please note no decisions are being made at this early stage and there is no impact or change to current parking within the HMAC. The introduction of paid parking is not being considered as part of this project.

You can share feedback in person, via email or by completing the questionnaire by midnight Sunday 12 May 2024.

The aim of the Highpoint Parking Plan is to:

• support the long-term vision and development of the HMAC into a vibrant mixed-use centre that is an exciting place to live, work and visit
• set out a clear and integrated framework to manage car parking pressure and to facilitate a transport mode shift towards walking, cycling and public transport
• ensure that a car parking policy contributes to the vibrancy and accessibility of the centre.

The Highpoint Major Activity Centre, located in the suburb of Maribyrnong, covers an area of approximately 90 hectares. The surrounding land predominantly consists of residential development – it is bound by Raleigh Road to the north, Wattle Road and River Street to the south, Warrs Road to the east and Hampstead and Wests roads to the west.

In the future, the centre and its precincts will become more diverse in its activities and more intensively used. It will bring together a variety of businesses, jobs, housing, shopping, entertainment and recreation options so that most daily needs are met within the centre.

As the centre grows, it will need to be well-connected by a network of improved streets and spaces, provide walking and cycling networks and good public transport.

There are seven key precincts being investigated for the Highpoint Parking Plan. These can be viewed via the interactive map below.

Recent parking surveys were conducted that measured car parking occupancy and duration of stays for both public on-street and off-street car parking. Private/commercial car parking spaces within the HMAC were also included in the parking surveys.

Parking surveys were undertaken for each of the seven precincts and findings can be viewed via the interactive map below.

As the population living within the centre continues to grow, along with more people visiting and working in the area, a range of challenges need to be considered.

Aligned with existing Council strategies and policies, there are opportunities to:

• reduce traffic and reliance on parking within the area
• prioritise a transport mode shift towards walking, cycling and public transport
• establish safe, well-connected, wider and greener walking and cycle paths
• advocate for improved public transport services
• minimise the impacts of parking access on the safety and comfort of pedestrians and cyclists
• prioritise improved and safer cycling infrastructure and transport connections (better bus routes and more frequent trams).

Objectives

A series of objectives and potential strategies have been developed to help start the conversation. A summary of these can be viewed by downloading the Options and Strategy Summary Document or reading the full document by downloading the Options and Strategy Analysis Report in the Document Library.

The following objectives and strategies have been informed by:

• a review of existing parking conditions (public transport facilities, crash history and parking surveys)
• a review of strategic documents
• a review of existing parking issues and concerns heard from the community and stakeholders
• analysis of residential car ownership within and surrounding the HMAC.